


Space Pickles

by DarrowWyrlde



Series: 30min Fics [5]
Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: But I say a Latin thang, Drifting Stars Au, Eating Food, Gen, How are you still alive?, How's your Latin?, If You Have A Problem With Eating Food..., It's What This Is About, So Kudos To You If You Understand It, That's all I gotta say about that, Well - Freeform, You don't need it, that happens
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-26
Updated: 2018-08-26
Packaged: 2019-07-02 19:02:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15802653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarrowWyrlde/pseuds/DarrowWyrlde
Summary: Mabel isn't exactly happy with the provisions Grunkle Ford INSISTS are delicious.How can they be? They're disgusting!





	Space Pickles

**Author's Note:**

> Gravity Falls, Drifting Stars AU  
> Based on the Prompt: Astronaut Pickles

Mabel groaned and sat down with a plop. The ground was awfully muddy, but it was warm as well. Grunkle Ford had said something about this planet’s crust being thinner? 

Eh whatever. In the long run the reason why the ground was warm didn’t matter. They would be gone soon enough. What  _ did  _ matter was that she was tired and hungry.

She didn’t want to pester her grunkle with those needs but apparently he had picked up on it anyways. Probably because of how she kept groaning and holding her stomach.

Yeah. She couldn’t help being a tad dramatic.

“Here,” Grunkle Ford paused in his setting up of camp to rummage in his pack for provisions. He tossed her a pair of oblong, purple vegetables wrapped in a shrink wrap like plastic. 

The parcel fell in her lap, but she reeled back in disgust. She had learned by this point in their travels that she couldn’t afford to be picky but...let's just say she had argued fervently against their purchase at the last market. 

The prickly purple things were slimy, and had a sweetly sick stench that nauseated her. But Grunkle Ford had insisted. Said he’d had the disgusting things before and that they were full of nutrients. Like Mabel cared about that. She should but...yeah no. Not in this case.

“Grunkle Ford?” she whined “You sure  _ you  _ can’t just eat these and I’ll eat those nut things?”

“Yes, I am sure. Also it is ‘are you sure’ or ‘you are sure’ or if you must ‘you’re sure’ not ‘you sure’. Grammar Mabel.”

Mabel rolled her eyes but pouted. His tone was insistent. She was going to end up eating these stink tubes whether she liked it or not.

She sighed and settled to just get it over with.

Grunkle Ford paused again and looked at her humorously. “I assure you, they are quite delicious.” 

She peeled the packaging open and winced as the fumes assaulted her nose, turning her stomach. Slime spurted onto her hands.

“Uck!”

Grunkle Ford laughed softly and came over, unwrapping the rest himself. “I do admit  Spatiumsalsa are one of the messier fruits I’ve come across.” He pulled one of the two from the plastic and took a large crisp bite. A moment and swallow led to, “But they have a delightfully sour zest!”

Mabel grimaced at the translucent juice sticking in his scruff. 

He swiped at his face and sighed, “Just try it please sweetheart. You’ll enjoy it, I promise.” 

She picked up the thing like a burrito, her nostrils hating her for bringing it closer and her stomach threatening to reject itself over the stench. 

Oh just get it over with!

She shoved as much as she could in her mouth and bit down.

Flavor exploded on her tongue like a firecracker. As the smell was sickly sweet, the taste was sweetly sour. It was salty and juicy and almost  _ green. _ The seeds made for a pleasant, smooth texture and Mabel found she didn’t mind the juice dribbling down her chin. 

She swallowed, licked her lips, and quickly snapped up another bite with a satisfying crunch. 

Grunkle Ford shook his head and chuckled as he watched her savor the sharp taste. “I assume you like it?” he asked, amused. 

“YES!” she proclaimed, drops of sweet juice flying from her full mouth. She swallowed. “It tastes like....like….”

“Pickles?”

Mabel’s eyes grew wide and she nodded enthusiastically. “Kinda yeah!” She felt so glad to put a name behind the oddly familiar flavor. 

Her Grunkle smiled fondly at her and took a bite himself, glancing to the side. She chewed and watched him think, thinking herself about how wonderful the alien food was.

“You see,” he cleared his throat and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “The flavor comes from how  Spatiumsalsa seeds begin to ferment long before the rest of the plant begins to rot. I theorize that-”

Mabel zoned out and closed her eyes. 

She savored the crisp flavor in her mouth, felt the soft breeze and wiggled further into the warm mud. It was nice. She listened to her Grunkle’s comforting voice prattle on and sadly took the last bite of her Spatiumsalsa.

She licked her fingers, but didn’t open her eyes. Using the pack on her back as a rest, she leaned back and just relaxed.

Her mind drifted as the voice in front of her quieted. She could hear Grunkle Ford move about but didn’t open her eyes, content. 

As she nodded off, she felt a blanket wrap around her and rough lips touch her forehead.

“Good night Princess.”

She dreamed of pickles and home.


End file.
